What anyone believes has much more to do with their emotional type and background. Very intelligent people often believe utter crap. The trouble is very intelligent people are taken seriously and listened to with awe. I quote as an example Ron Hubbard scientologist. Very inteligent people can also be utterly intolerant forcing their opinions on others less able to defend themselves. Beware the trap of intelligence pat your dog and be thankful for him.

Epicurus' dates were 341 BCE – 270 BCE, as I hinted in my post of the quote chefkathleen reposted, not 33AD.

The concept of God did not start with the alleged death of Jesus.

The concept of God is actually camouflage for a class of fraudsters who want people with real work to keep them in luxury in return for "interceding" with someone you can't see, hear, or otherwise detect.

Another quote "If you really, really want something and you've been begging and praying for it - God is the one who ignores you."News of ALL my novels (and where to get free copies) via charmbrights@yahoo.co.uk

A very intelligent friend of mine recently said "be careful reading the bible has been known to cause atheism" and I think that is the perfect quote for this thread. That is the way that intelligence can easily cause atheism. Personally I think intelligent people are far more likely not to believe in the bible, but you don't have to believe in the bible to believe in god. Reading the bible may cause you not believe in god for some time, but I do think that most intelligent people believe in a god of some sort eventually.

Maybe studying the teachings of the bible would make any individual, regardless of their level of intelligence, more inclined to believe in God. It's all too easy to be sceptical and cynical about any subject that one knows very little, or even nothing about.

I agree with curiouscat on this one -- I believe that more intelligent people may be more likely to question and challenge -- Someone else mentioned the differentiation between belief in God and the belief in a Religion. I'm also of the opinion that one may believe in a higher power, but at the same time may question the dogma associated with organized religion.

awensmom said, "A very intelligent friend of mine recently said "be careful reading the bible has been known to cause atheism" and I think that is the perfect quote for this thread."

That is exactly what happened to Thomas a Kempis. He was a jesuit priest, who, for a significant part of his life, renounced the priesthood, Catholicism and his belief in God. He later recanted, and wrote his most famous work, "The Imitation of Christ". But he was an excellent example of how education and intelligence can lead to questioning."There's only three tempos: slow, medium and fast. When you get between in the cracks, ain't nuthin' happenin'." Ben Webster

I'm not so sure that intelligent people are less likely to believe in a god as they are willing to explore and question. Faith is independent of science, as it well should be. One needn't (nor shouldn't) attempt to fit emotional reasoning into logical reasoning. The problem with attempting to marry the two comes into play when discussing beliefs with others. In my personal opinion, god (God?) should be questioned, from scriptural writings to the idea of existence. Religion becomes less and less important in a society as a society becomes more civilized. In the age of instantaneous knowledge, and the ability to 'police' the people around oneself, there is less of a need to have the feeling that someone, or something, is watching, making moral decisions for one.

There have been some studies comparing religiousity with intelligence and the jury is still out. There is a small correlation between atheism and intelligence, but some very, very intelligent people are believers.

It is quite logical to say that the more intelligent a person, the more chance he/she has of reasoning that there is a God who created us. Think of it this way:

Imagine buying a 3000 piece jigsaw puzzle, opening the box and throwing all the pieces on the floor. Nothing will happen unless someone put it all together to make a lovely picture of NICOLA

Same with Adam and Eve and even us. We had to come from somewhere as with all life, they were specially designed by a higher form. God. Think of all the organs in the body, the trillions of cells. They could not logically have come from a single cell amoeba. Even then, where did the first amoeba come from.

God created all life, he designed the earth and the conditions right for us humans and some not so humans to live in. So it all goes back to logic and intelligence. Those who can reason will clearly see that God does exist.

Right now he is even watching all of us here on Lush, observing our behavior. Scary isn't it?

Joined: 8/14/2009Posts: 5,827Location: The Citadel of my mind , United States

Do I believe in a God? Yes. I can feel the spiritual energy when I let myself. I believe that life is simply a short test or training for something more and that the pain we suffer in it is a part of that training. That is why God, whatever that being my be, doesn't interfere.

Now do I believe in religious movements? No, they are a work of men used to impose control over the masses. No one knows what is in the mind of God and if they say otherwise they are full of shit.

According to the bible, believers are predestined to believe. If this passage were true, only a select few of us are going to believe in god. I grew up in the church and have a very religious mother, who doesn't understand why I don't believe the same way she does. Ultimately we all have to make our own path. No one can make us believe in anything. Faith is believing in something even though it doesn't make sense rationally. One can be very intelligent, and not have faith. The bible also says that faith is a gift from god.

I don't think so. I didn't believe in God when I was younger but now I do. So unless I was more intelligent at 14 than now, I'm going to say intelligence doesn't determine whether or not a person is a believer. Had a dream I was king, I woke up still king!!

Joined: 9/6/2011Posts: 776Location: the land of enchantment, United States

Naughty_Magician wrote:

I don't think so. I didn't believe in God when I was younger but now I do. So unless I was more intelligent at 14 than now, I'm going to say intelligence doesn't determine whether or not a person is a believer.

dont YOU think you are more intelligent than when you were 14?

i dont think it has anything to do with intelligence...or at least maybe it shouldnt. i do think a lot of people believe without having ever THOUGHT about it. and for me thats a problem as i dont believe anything just out of hand. much prefer to take and idea turn it every which way and then decide if im on board or not.littlemissbitch ~ professional face ripper offer, at your service..

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